Pro-rectal baths



March 26, 1963 F. PEARLMAN PRO-RECTAL BATHS Filed June 12, 1962 FRANK PEARLMAN ATTORNEYS.

United States ten 3,082,432 PRO-RECTAL BATHS Frank Pearlman, 9370 W. Bay Harbor Drive, Miami Beach 54, Fla. Filed June 12, 1962, Ser. No. 201,942 4 Claims. (Cl. 4-7) This invention relates to a bath in the nature of a sitz bath but having advantages over known baths of that general nature. It is termed a pro-rectal bath because, in addition to providing means for flushing the rectal area, it also functions to exert a pronounced massaging effect upon the prostate glands while applying heat thereto. It is well known that both of these effects to wit, the massaging and the application of heat, tend to facilitate urination. Thus the device of the invention will greatly reduce, and in many cases render unnecessary, the use of a catheter.

The invention and its advantage will be better understood after a consideration of the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the device of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view;

FIG. 3 is an underside view, looking upward;

FIG. 4 is a vertical, sectional view on line 44 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a transverse, vertical sectional view on line 5-5 of FIG. 2, with the Water-distributing structure shown in elevation.

FIG. 6 is an end view showing the device in its folded condition;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary view showing one form of connection between one of the cross bars and one of the side wings;

FIG. 8 is a sectional view showing one form of connection between the end of the cross member of the water distributing structure and one of the side wings.

Like numerals designate corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawing.

The body portion of the device comprises a seat 5,

'having an opening 6 formed therein, of a shape much like the opening in an ordinary toilet seat. The seat member ,5 has wings 7 hingedly connected thereto along substantially its full length and the hinges 8 are preferably of the so-called piano hinge type. In use, the device is placed in the bottom of a bathtub, which has been indicated in dotted lines at 9, and when the wings are downturned they support the seat Sat a suitable desired elevation above the bottom of the tub. The wings are securely held in the perpendicular position described by transverse cross bars 10, and end portions 11 of which are shaped to engage in correspondingly shaped recesses 12 of blocks 13 which blocks are rigidly aflixed to the inner faces of wings 7.

A water conducting and distributing element consists of a substantially T-shaped rigid member of metallic, preferably copper, pipe, comprising a cross tube 14, the ends of which are closed by caps 15. The other member of the T-shaped structure comprises a copper tube 16. A flexible tube 17 is attached to the end of the tube 16 and, at its outer end, is provided with a faucet engaging element 18. This element is adapted to be thrust upon the usual discharge faucet of the bathtub and from which faucet water of any desired temperature may be fed to the rigid piping of the T-shaped water distribution element. An upwardly facing conventional spray-head 19 is disposed in the T-shaped element of the water distributing structure, in such position as to be held properly positioned to secure the desired effects, when the caps 15 are securely engaged in blocks 15a which are carried by the wings 7. When the caps 15 are engaged with blocks 15a they lie behind the wall portions 15b, so that the wings are held by the caps against outward movement.

The caps 15 are preferably non-circular to hold pipe 14 against turning and to thereby hold the spray head in upright position. The front faces of blocks 15a are provided with vertical slots 15c which receive tube 14 while the angular caps 15 pass downwardly into the recessed interior of blocks 15a.

The blocks 15a are disposed substantially midway of the length of the wings and when the caps are engaged in said blocks, the cross tube 14 not only serves as an additional brace to aid in holding the wings against collapse, but this engagement of the caps 15 and tube 14 with the blocks 15a serves to anchor the water distributing element securely in place during the operation of the device and thus maintains the upwardly directed spray-head 19 in position to effectively bathe and massage and apply heat to body portions in the area described. When the device is not in use, it may be brought to an easily transportable and compact condition by removing the T-sha-ped metallic piping and folding the wings inwardly against the underside of the seat, as shown in FIG. 6.

It will be observed that the structure described is of such nature that it may be placed inside a bathtub and at such a low level therein that sprays of water of varying temperature may be discharged with considerable force against the affected areas without danger of splashing the water out of the tub. This is a feature of considerable importance.

I am aware of the fact that spray discharging means have been associated with seat elements adapted to be engaged with ordinary toilet seats. These devices serve the intended function of merely bathing affected parts, but where an attempt has been made to use these high level structures to discharge sprays of such force as to exert a massaging action, outside splashing of the water has resulted. The device of this invention is found highly beneficial in ordinary bathing and flashing of the anal region after hemorrhoid operations.

The value of devices of this sort in massaging the prostate glands while flushing and bathing, but only the rectal area, but also the area in the groin and even out upon the buttocks, has not been sufficiently appreciated, because even the medical profession has failed to recognize the cause of pruritus anus. The medical profession has recognized that excessive acidity of the system tends to produce not only belching and various stomach distresses, but when continued tends to produce duodenal ulcers and spastic colon. But the profession has failed to carry that knowledge further and to recognize that the intense rectal itching, commonly known as pruritus anus, is also caused by this excessive acid condition. That this is so is shown by the fact that the itching is most pronounced when an acid fluid in the nature of acid perspiration covers not only the immediate exit at the anus, but also extends over a considerable area, such as forwardly beneath the testicles and rearward-1y and outwardly upon the buttocks. It

is clear that this moisture, which may be termed an acid perspiration, does not arise wholly from a condition existing immediately inside the rectum but is caused by an acid discharge over the area described. It has been found that frequent flushing of these areas to get rid of this acid perspiration gives almost immediate relief from the itching. It is not contended that it effects a cure, it being apparent that to effect a cure it would be necessary to correct he acid condition of the system. However, as stated, frequent flushing of the affected areas has been found to be highly beneficial.

It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the precise construction shown nor to the particular type of engagement between the cross bars and the wings and between the cross tube 14 and the wings, because these may be varied. However, the net result of the arrangement described is to provide a structure in which the water distributing spray-head is itself held properly positioned with respect to the opening 6 on the seat, and at the same time aids in supporting the structure against collapse. Further, the described structure permits a very ready disengagement of the water distributing element when the device is to be brought to the readily portable condition shown in FIG. 6. It is to be noted that the device of the invention consists of two principal parts, namely, the foldable, seat-constituting frame embodying the top 5, downturned wings 7, hinges 8 and blocks a, as one of said parts, and the T-shaped, rigid, water distributing structure comprising transverse pipe 14 and longitudinal pipe 16 as the other of said parts, the ends of the pipe 16 having non-circular ends, (FIG. 8), which engage with the blocks 15a of the downturned wings in a way to prevent turning of pipe 14, and consequently to hold pipe 16 at a level with respect to pipe 14.

The pipe 16 constitutes, substantially, a handle for the T-shaped structure, to facilitate the engagement of the non-circular caps 15 with blocks 15a when the structure is being assembled, or to facilitate the removal of the second and T-shaped structure from its interlocking engagement with the frame when the latter is to be brought to the knocked down position of FIG. 6. Then the pipe 16 may be placed within the space between the confronting ends of wings 7, and pipe 14 may lie across the outer ends of the wings 7 and just beyond the end of seat 5.

A conventional strap, not shown, may then be used to hold the two parts together in closely packed relation, so that they may be readily transported from a home to a hotel when one is traveling. This is of importance to sufferers from pruritus anus, where frequent flushing of afflicted parts is the only thing which will give relief from persistent and intolerable itching. The invention includes within its purview whatever changes fall within either the terms or the spirit of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. Bathing apparatus of the character described adapted to he placed in and rest upon the bottom of a bath tub and comprising a seat having an opening therethrough over which a person may be seated and supporting downturned side wings, hinged to said seat, transverse prop bars lying beneath the seat and extending from wing to wing, interengaging members upon the prop ends and wings by which the wings are held in supporting and perpendicular position with respect to the seat, and a water conveying element including a transverse rigid pipe section, a spray head carried by said pipe section and held by said pipe in a position to discharge upwardly through the opening of the seat and means carried by the pipe and engaging the wings having means to hold the pipe against turning and to firmly hold the Wings against either inward or outward movement and also to maintain the spray head against shifting with respect to the opening of the seat the height of the wings being such as to maintain the seat in a relatively low position in a bath tub.

2. A device of the character described, comprising a first or seat-forming structure and a second or water-conducting structure, the seat-forming structure comprising a horizontal top, constituting a seat, which has an opening therein over which a person may be seated, a pair of downwardly extending wings extending along the opposite sides of the seat, hinges which hingedly connect the tops of the wings with the underside edge portions of the seat-forming top, a prop-forming cross bar extending between the wings at each end of the seat-forming structure and disposed adjacent the lower edges of said wings, means for rigidly connecting the ends of said cross bars to the wings, the water-conducting structure comprising a transverse pipe having a spray head upstanding therefrom at a median point in the length of said transverse pipe, which spray head terminates a short distance below the seat and discharges upwardly through the opening of the seat, a longitudinally extending pipe rigidly connected to the transverse pipe and extending to a point adjacent one end of the seat-forming structure, a flexible tube connected to the outer end of the longitudinally extending pipe, closure caps upon the opposite ends of the transverse pipe, inwardly extending blocks fixedly secured to the inner sides of the wings at points between the prop-forming cross bars, said inwardly extending blocks being shaped to provide upwardly facing recesses having angular internal walls within which the said closure caps of the transverse pipe enter, said caps being of angular external formation which engage said angular walls to resist turning of the transverse pipe upon its axis and to thereby hold the longitudinally extending pipe in substantial parallelism with the underside of the seat-forming top.

3. A sitz bath type device adapted to be placed in a bath tub and to rest upon the bottom of said tub, said device comprising a substantially horizontal top forming a seat having an opening therethrough, depending supports disposed at two opposite sides of the seat and hinged thereto at their upper edges in a manner to render them foldable inwardly beneath the seat, a rigid water-distributing member comprising a transverse pipe and a longitudinal pipe, members closing the terminal ends of the transverse pipe and constituting enlargements upon the ends of said pipe, inwardly projecting members upon the inner sides of the depending supports, with which the enlarged ends of the transverse pipe have interlocking engagement, the water-distributing member, as a whole, lying horizontally beneath the seat in substantial parallelism therewith, with its transverse pipe supported from the said inwardly directed members of the supports, while itself holding said supports against movement toward collapsed position, and a spray head carried by the transverse pipe, disposed to discharge upwardly through the opening of the seat.

4. A device of the character described, comprising a first or seat-forming structure and a second or water-conducting structure, the seat-forming structure comprising a horizontal top, constituting a seat, which has an opening therein over which a person may be seated, a pair of downwardly extending wings extending along the opposite sides of the seat, hinges which hingedly connect the tops of the wings with the underside edge portions of the seatforming top, the water-conducting structure being of T- shape and horizontally underlying the seat-forming structure, said water-conducting structure comprising a transverse pipe having a spray head upstanding therefrom at a median point in the length of said transverse pipe, which spray head terminates a short distance below the seat and discharges upwardly through the opening of the seat, and said water-conducting structure also comprising a longitudinal pipe rigidly connected to the transverse pipe and extending substantially to one end of the seat-forming structure, closure caps of angular external formation upon the opposite ends of the transverse pipe, inwardly extending blocks fixedly secured to the inner sides of the wings, said inwardly extending blocks being shaped to provide upwardly facing recesses having angular internal walls, the front faces of said blocks having vertical slots formed therein through which the opposite end portions of the die to position the transverse pipe and direct the entry of transverse pipe pass, the angular olosure caps passing bethe closure caps into the recesses of the blocks. hind the front walls of the blocks and engaging therebehind with the angular formation of the recesses to prevent Ref n e Cited in the file of this patent turning of the transverse pipe upon its axis and to thereby 5 hold the longitudinally extending pipe in substantial par- UNITED STATES PATENTS allelism with the underside of the seat-forming top, the 1,659,725 Davidson Fell 9 Whole Water-conducting structure being of such rigidity 2,753,570 Evans July 10, 1956 that the longitudinally extending pipe functions as a han- 3,040,335 Gellmann June 26, 1962 

1. BATHING APPARATUS OF THE CHARACTER DESCRIBED ADAPTED TO BE PLACED IN AND REST UPON THE BOTTOM OF A BATH TUB AND COMPRISING A SEAT HAVING AN OPENING THERETHROUGH OVER WHICH A PERSON MAY BE SEATED AND SUPPORTING DOWNTURNED SIDE WINGS, HINGED TO SAID SEAT, TRANSVERSE PROP BARS LYING BENEATH THE SEAT AND EXTENDING FROM WING TO WING, INTERENGAGING MEMBERS UPON THE PROP ENDS AND WINGS BY WHICH THE WINGS ARE HELD IN SUPPORTING AND PERPENDICULAR POSITION WITH RESPECT TO THE SEAT, AND A WATER CONVEYING ELEMENT INCLUDING A TRANSVERSE RIGID PIPE SECTION, A SPRAY HEAD CARRIED BY SAID PIPE SECTION AND HELD BY SAID PIPE IN A POSITION TO DISCHARGE UPWARDLY THROUGH THE OPENING OF THE SEAT AND MEANS CARRIED BY THE PIPE AND ENGAGING THE WINGS HAVING MEANS TO HOLD THE PIPE AGAINST TURNING AND TO FIRMLY HOLD THE WINGS AGAINST EITHER INWARD OR OUTWARD MOVEMENT AND ALSO TO MAINTAIN THE SPRAY HEAD AGAINST SHIFTING WITH RESPECT TO THE OPENING OF THE SEAT, THE HEIGHT OF THE WINGS BEING SUCH AS TO MAINTAIN THE SEAT IN A RELATIVELY LOW POSITION IN A BATH TUB. 